Nerds on Comics: The Superior Spider-Man

Spider-man, Spider-man, does whatever an Octopus can!

Wait that’s not right…

Superior Spider-man, Marvel’s newest version of Spider-man has been rebooted and it is amazing! The new story follows “Peter Parker” as he performs his daily duties as New York’s web slinging crime fighter and member of the Avengers.

The twist? That’s not really Peter Parker inside but Dr. Otto Octavius! In The Amazing Spider-man 700, Dr. Oc switches bodies with Peter Parker as he’s dying. The switch works and unfortunately Peter doesn’t make it out of Otto’s body before he dies. Yes, they killed Peter Parker’s Soul.

…Or so we thought. Turns out the memories that Otto has kept while in the body of Spider-man has taken over, like a conscience for Otto to battle with internally. This contention is brought to light by the elements of dating Mary Jane, fighting the Vulture, contemplating whether or not to use a gun to dispose of an enemy for good, and helping out The Avengers.

Issues 1-6 have been great but Issue 6 (Age of Ultron) and Issue 7 are where the real fun begins. Not to spoil the whole twist too much, but in Issue 6 (Age of Ultron) Spider-man has been called upon by The Avengers to help out with a large battle. His excessively arrogant “hero” attempts leads The Avengers to question his recent behavior. This suspicion leads to a discovery that propels the story to Issue 9, showcasing the most amazing conflict between Peter Parker and Otto Octavius, “The Superior Spider-Man,” that I have ever read in a comic book.

Whether you pick up this one digitally or the print version, the layout and slow build of this book leaves you questioning does good always win or has Marvel changed the rules?

Yes, yes. I’m a feminist. Listeners of our Nerds on Film podcast have been quite aware of this for some time. Feel free to shed your image of man-hating, bra burning feminazis however. We come in all different shades, and yes, feminists have a sense of humor too. Specifically, clever nerds and artists who have started what I deem (in all my righteous power as galactic empress) to be the greatest thing to ever happen to the internet: The Hawkeye Initiative.

Time is very limited. You are only allocated so much of it to accomplish your tasks at hand. Oftentimes, the urgent things in life take over, whether they be car payments and student loans, or picking up the kids from school and going grocery shopping. There is always something. Trust me, I know all about it. I work two full time jobs, take care of my family (that includes two kids and one on the way) and volunteer at my local observatory. We are all busy.